Tag Archives: windows

NVIDIA Releases 285.62 Graphics Drivers

NVIDIA today released the final, WHQL-certified version of its 285.62 graphics driver package for desktops and laptops running 32 and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7. The new drivers feature “improved compatibility and performance for Battlefield 3 ,” as did the beta drivers released last month , and they do the same for RAGE and the forthcoming Batman: Arkham City . A timeout issue that existed in the beta package has also been fixed.  Additionally, the new package contains an updated version of the PhysX System Software (9.11.06.21), a new HD audio driver (1.2.24.0), OpenGL 4.2 support for 400 and 500-series GeForce cards, and small performance gains in many games for GTX 560 and 580 users. The desktop version of the package supports all integrated and dedicated GeForce cards going all the way back to the GeForce 6 series, while the laptop version supports most DirectX10 and DirectX11-capable GPUs (GeForce 8 series and later).  32 and 64-bit Windows XP users get the 285.58 driver package for desktop cards, which includes most of the enhancements listed above (though there is no particular mention of Arkham City in the release notes ). As usual, NVIDIA's Verde driver for laptop users doesn't support Windows XP. You can grab the latest drivers for your card from  GeForce.com . Source: NVIDIA

Hands-on: Windows 8 tablet at Build 2011

Microsoft just unveiled some more details about its ambitious Windows 8 operating system at Build 2011 and we’ve been playing with a prototype tablet for almost 24 hours and we must say that there’s a lot of promise with Microsoft’s new platform. Windows 8 isn’t the company’s tablet-specific OS, as it’s the next generation of its platform and it’s meant for screen sizes from 7 inches to 70 inches. Of course, the success of devices like the Apple iPad are definitely a factor in this, as the whole thing has been rethought with responsive multitouch in mind and a big focus on apps. As for the Samsung tablet, it’s not quite what was rumored ; but it’s still quite a powerful machine with an 11.6-inch screen with an 1366 x 768 resolution, a second-generation Intel core i5 processor, integrated 3G from AT&T, 64 GB of on-board storage, 4 GB DDR3, multiple dock sensore and two cameras. Microsoft specifically said this should not be considered an iPad killer, as the device is meant to be a developer preview machine and when it finally lands in the market, it will run Windows 7. It’s a shame, as it’s a nice tablet. The point of the tablet is to show off Windows 8 and its multitouch capabilities and it’s worth crowing about. Once you boot it up, you Windows Phone 7 fans will recognize many elements: from the live tiles on the start screen to the loading animations and even the sounds and look of the virtual keyboard, Windows 8 builds upon the visual aesthetic of Microsoft’s latest smartphone platform. Apps on the home screen are displayed as live tiles and these can be customized with a few quick taps or moves. Needless to say, if you’re not a fan of the visual appeal of Windows Phone or much of its interaction method, you may be turned off by Windows 8. The Samsung tablet has excellent responsiveness with the multitouch interface and Microsoft has said that it built in touch from the ground up. While a keyboard and mouse user will still be able to use Windows 8, it’s clear that this was built to be touch. Apps take up the full screen and the demonstration apps we’ve seen in the Metro-style are bright and beautiful. There are a set of system-wide gestures which are consistent throughout the apps and start screen: swiping from the top and bottom bring up contextual menues (like a URL bar in the browser), swiping from the right will bring up the “Charms” (quick access to system controls) and swiping from the left will bring you back to your previous app. Because this is a full Windows machine, you’ll be able to multiask with some of those gestures, as you’ll be able to “snap” an app to the left or right of a main app. You can resize these accordingly but you can only scale these to certain pre-defined sizes. The Metro-style apps run smoothly, incorporate touch well and look nice. If you hate change, you can always hit the Desktop icon to go back to a Windows 7-like user interface for more precise apps like PhotoShop or Excel (the touch input is improved on that too). After spending a few hours with the Samsung Windows 8 tablet, I was very optimistic and even excited about what Microsoft is trying to do: tablets don’t mean we’re in a Post-PC Era , as users may not have to sacrifice power for UI and touch capabilities. Of course, that joy went away after thinking about it longer, as this is still a long time away from hitting the market, the touch interaction metaphors can be clunky sometimes and important factors like battery life and performance once you’re running a variety of “big boy” apps are still questions to be addressed. Still, Microsoft’s Windows 8 is extremely promising and I hope it continues to improve upon it. Watch the video below and let us know what you think. We’ll have a bunch more on this over the next few days, so let us know what you want us to talk about specifically (We’ll have another more in-depth video after the keynote). Hands-on: Windows 8 tablet at Build 2011 originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-13T16:08:42Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Analysts say Americans will use mobile devices more than PCs for internet access by 2015

The bean counters at IDC are predicting that by 2015, thanks to tablets, smartphones, and ubiquitous connectivity, unless you’re an AT&T customer that is, Americans will be using their mobile devices to access the internet more than what we’ve traditionally known as the “personal computer” . We say “personal computer”, because that term is going to be radically altered in just a few short years. By the end of 2012 Microsoft is expected to ship their next version of Windows, aptly called Windows 8, and it’ll run on both x86 and ARM chips , which the latter is being used exclusively to power smartphones and tablets today. There’s also speculation that at some point in the future, Apple is going to dump Intel like the money sucking wife it is and switch to ARM for their entire computing lineup . Karsten Weide, Research Vice President, Media and Entertainment at IDC says: “Forget what we have taken for granted on how consumers use the Internet. Soon, more users will access the Web using mobile devices than using PCs, and it’s going to make the Internet a very different place.” In that kind of world, you’d expect people to start taking building mobile applications and mobile sites more seriously than their respective desktop variants. In places like Africa, India, and other emerging territories, the “mobile first” approach already exists since PCs are too big, too expensive, and use too much power, but at the same time nearly everyone has a mobile phone. That landscape will never hit the Western World since we’re rich enough to have a PC, a mobile phone, and some people even have a tablet, creating the ultimate trifecta, but which of those will we reach for the most during the day is due to change. How has mobile changed the way you use your PC? Is it collecting dust, sitting on your desk, begging for some attention? Analysts say Americans will use mobile devices more than PCs for internet access by 2015 originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-13T08:52:10Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Microsoft BUILD 2011 preview: What’s up with Windows Phone?

I’ll be at Microsoft’s BUILD conference next week and the big news should be Windows 8 on tablets and we may even be getting a nice Samsung quad-core tablet to play around with. While Windows 8 should be sucking up most of the oxygen at the show, you have to wonder if we’ll see anything about Windows Phone. Of course, a focus on Windows 8 could actually have a lot to do with Windows Phone, as Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang told CNet he believes that Windows Phone apps will run on Windows 8. Considering that Microsoft and NVIDIA are working hard on getting Windows 8 on ARM devices, I believe that Huang has an inside line on what to expect. Running phone apps on your desktop may not seem amazing but you have to remember that Windows 8 will likely power a variety of touchscreen tablets and having a robust portfolio of touch-friendly apps out of the gate will be of great help to these tablets while developers get used to developing tablet-specific programs. We’ve seen phone apps blown up for tablets on the iPad and with Honeycomb and while this experience isn’t always great, it’s better to have than nothing. Microsoft could also use the day two keynote to talk more about Windows Phone Mango . We already know about the third-party multitasking, SkyDrive integration, LinkedIn and Twitter built in, custom ringtones and more but Microsoft is promising hundreds of new features, so this could be a great opportunity to expand on those. It has already starting accepting Mango apps but this developer-centric conference could also have some more goodies and tools for app makers. The one thing we really want to know is: When does Windows Phone Mango come out? It has promised “Fall 2011″ in the past and we’ve already seen Mango phones drop in Japan, so the rest of us will have to sit tight for a little while. As for timing, this could be a perfect opportunity to announce an early-October release of Windows Phone Mango. It’s been a tough first year for Windows Phone, as we genuinely think the platform is innovative and a fresh take on mobile computing but it has yet to really catch on with consumers – Even Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer concedes that sales are “ very small .” Despite that, the developer ecosystem has steadily grown, at least one platform competitor is dead and there are still reasons to be cautiously optimistic about Windows Phone’s chances. Whatever Microsoft announces about Windows Phone Mango, you can be sure that IntoMobile will be on top of it, so stay tuned. What would you like Microsoft to say about Windows Phone Mango at Build 2011? Microsoft BUILD 2011 preview: What’s up with Windows Phone? originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-09T17:55:23Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Microsoft apps to offer better business productivity on Symbian

Nokia and Microsoft announced today its plans to deliver Symbian software updates called Microsoft Apps. Both companies claim that this new update will add some “serious business productivity tools” for anyone buying a new Symbian Belle device, as well as anybody looking to upgrade from Symbian Anna to Symbian Belle. But here’s the caveat: If you’re looking to get your hands on this new update, you’ll have to wait some time during the fourth quarter of this year to start up the Software Update app from within your phone. Below, is a list of free  apps included in this package: Microsoft® Lync™ 2010 Mobile – for cost efficient IM, presence, audio and web meetings on-the-go. Microsoft® PowerPoint® Broadcast – quick broadcast of presentations directly from PC to mobile. Microsoft® OneNote™ – rich note taking with images. Syncs with Microsoft® SkyDrive®. Microsoft® Document Connection – single view to documents stored on mobile, including email attachments as well as documents on Microsoft® SharePoint® 2010 sites. Wait there’s more, a second update in early 2012 will add: Microsoft OneNote sync with SharePoint (in addition to SkyDrive) as well as adding Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint as native applications for the first time outside the Windows platform. Having a full suite of Microsoft apps will more than certainly improve business productivity. Perhaps, this is an indication to the tech world that Nokia isn’t ready to throw in the towel on its operating system just yet, especially when its on record to saying it’ll provide software support to Symbian until  at least  2016. [via Nokia blog ] Microsoft apps to offer better business productivity on Symbian originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-08T22:34:11Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Hands-on: HTC Titan with its massive screen

The HTC Radar is aimed at Windows Phone users who want a sleek and elegant device but the aptly-named HTC Titan is aimed at those who want more. More screen size, more horse power, more everything. The HTC Titan sports a massive 4.7-inch display and the WVGA resolution looks good but you would really have liked to see a resolution bump for such a big screen. Still, even though it likely won’t fit in your skinny jeans, the big screen is beautiful to look at and is quite responsive. Inside, the HTC Titan packs a 1.5 GHz Snapdragon processor which should be more than enough to handle whatever Windows Phone Mango can throw at it. In my brief time with the device, everything ran smoothly including the true third-party app multitasking. On the back, you have an excellent 8-megapixel camera with a dual flash and a clean finish on the brushed aluminum back. While it’s definitely a big phone due to the screen size, it’s surprisingly light and slim. It’s only 5.6 ounces and .39 inches thick, so it’s still a sleek device. Of the HTC Titan and the Radar, those of you who care more about the specs would likely go for the Titan. It has more power inside, more screen real estate and a great camera. I’m still a bit partial to the Radar just based on look and in-hand feel, although I wonder how well it will hold up once you load it up with apps. Regardless of which one is your favorite, it’s good to see some new Windows Phone Mango devices out there and HTC is showing that it’s not just getting devices out there for the sake of pleasing Microsoft. The Radar and Titan both seem like high-quality smartphones. Hands-on: HTC Titan with its massive screen originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-07T18:20:47Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

Hands-on: HTC Radar with Windows Phone Mango

The HTC Radar was officially introduced last week and HTC was nice enough to give us a look at the new Windows Phone Mango device in San Francisco this morning and I’m very glad it did. The HTC Radar is a beautifully-designed smartphone that looks and feels great. The phone feels like HTC throughout. I think it’s easiest to describe the HTC Radar as a mix of the Trophy , Legend with a hint of the Flyer/View 4G. It’s incredibly light in your hand and the brushed aluminum backing makes it feels like a premium device. The 3.8-inch Super LCD screen is quite bright, crisp and it’s very responsive. The face has your standard Windows Phone buttons underneath the screen and the right spine has the camera button and a single volume rocker. On top, you’ll find the power/unlock button and a headphone jack and the left spine is where you’ll find the microUSB port. On the back, you have the 5-megapixel camera with a flash and there’s a bit of a hump on the bottom (similar to the View 4G) which comes off for your SIM card. This is HTC’s first smartphone with Windows Phone Mango , which means you get access to new features including third-party multitasking, full Twitter integration and lots of little things like custom ringtones. I’m also excited to see the new developer tools this will enable for Windows Phone apps. We would have loved to see a bit more horsepower under the hood, as a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor is fine but it may start to feel outdated in a dual-core world. It also would have been nice to have an 8-megapixel camera. Still, the look, feel, design and Windows Phone Mango software should make the HTC Radar a compelling device for those who want a premium handset but don’t want Android or iOS. I can’t wait to spend more time with it. Hands-on: HTC Radar with Windows Phone Mango originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-07T17:48:02Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

NVIDIA: Our mobile chip business will grow 10x by 2015, thank Windows 8 for that

At a recent press meeting held by NVIDIA, CEO Jen-Hsun Huang claimed that by 2015 the company’s mobile chip division will grow by an order of magnitude to roughly $20 billion . Huang says that two out of every three Android tablets on the market have an NVIDIA chip inside, which would be impressive if it wasn’t for the fact that nearly every Android tablet on the market is a stinking pile of rubbish. It isn’t mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) however that will be responsible for the boom in business NVIDIA expects to relish in, it’s Windows devices. Microsoft’s next version of Windows, which is currently codenamed “Windows 8″, will be compatible with ARM processors. In other words, Windows is going to run on the same chips that power the smartphone in your pocket right now. It’s expected that by the end of next year Windows 8 will be out, along with computers using NVIDIA chips. What kind of chip can we expect in said PCs? Huang says it’s a “a mid-life super kicker to Kal-El”, NVIDIA’s quad core chip that will be shipping in tablets quite soon. Going back to mobile however, we’re surprised to hear NVIDIA say that by Q2 2012 they’ll be ready with products for low end smartphones that integrate cellular radios. Remember NVIDIA’s $367 million acquisition of Icera in May of this year? If that Q2 2012 launch date actually happens, then it’s something that’ll be considered incredibly impressive in terms of engineering. Knowing how NVIDIA’s schedules slip by a quarter or two however, we’re not confident that we’ll be seeing mid and low end smartphones powered by NVIDIA silicon until the 2012 holiday season shipping, and that’s assuming they can convince phone venfors to switch from their current relationship with today’s most popular supplier of silicon for Android handsets: Qualcomm. For those of us old enough to remember NVIDIA being synonymous with graphics cards, these are quite interesting times we live in. NVIDIA: Our mobile chip business will grow 10x by 2015, thank Windows 8 for that originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-07T09:02:56Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j

40 percent of all smartphones in US powered by Android

The latest numbers on US smartphones from Nielsen have just come in, and as expected, Android is up yet again. Last time Nielsen put out a report ( in late July ), it was for Q2 OS market share. At that time, Android was in the lead with 39 percent of the market. This time, the little green guy is up by 1 percent, sitting comfortably at 40. As far as competitors go, Apple is still staying strong with 28 percent, RIM is down again at 19 and Microsoft has a total of 8 percent. Of interesting note, Microsoft’s numbers consist of Windows Mobile and Windows Phone OS. Windows Mobile is at 7 percent, while Windows Phone is at 1. Both Symbian and webOS are now a part of the “other” category, which accounts for 5 percent of the pie. Perhaps the most compelling numbers out of today’s report pertain to what consumers plan to buy next. When it comes to late adopters, 32 percent plan to buy an Android phone, while 30 percent are undecided. The other 40 percent of late adopters are split up among the the major OSes. The only category where Android doesn’t lead the pack in numbers is what smartphone OS early adopters will buy next. Android has 37 percent. iOS has 38. However, Android more than makes up for the loss in the last category: “Innovators.” 40 percent of innovators, or “the earliest of early adopters,” plan to buy Android phones next.

Study: smartphone penetration hits 40% of overall U.S. mobile market

Nielsen just released the latest statistics on smartphone usage in the United States. Slowly but surely, smartphones continue to take over the entire mobile phone industry . As of July 2011, 40 percent of all mobile phones in use are smartphones. The other 60 percent are feature phones, but that number shrinks with every day that goes by. Nielsen also broke down that 40 percent of smartphones to find operating system market share. Android grabbed hold of 40 percent of all smartphones. Right behind that is iOS with 28 percent. RIM’s BlackBerry is at 19 percent. Oddly, Windows Mobile is still clinging on 7 percent of market share. Windows Mobile is Microsoft’s old mobile OS, later succeeded by Windows Phone. You folks really need to consider making an upgrade . But speaking of Windows Phone, the latest OS to come out of Redmond only captured 1 percent of mobile operating system usage, though things are always changing . All others combined account for the remaining 5 percent. It’s clear that Android is definitely winning the race in terms of software, but it’s important to know the Apple iPhone wins — by a landslide, I might add — in terms of hardware. Out of the hundreds of Android phones out there, they all add up to 40 percent. There are only four different models of the iPhone, and together they claim 28 percent — an impressive statistic for Apple. Finally, Nielson goes on to report what operating systems people are interested in for the future. Ranging from innovators to late adopters, the amount of people unsure about their next smartphone increases dramatically. 7 percent of innovators are unsure, as are nearly one third of late adopters. Interest in Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, and RIM’s BlackBerry stay generally within the same range throughout. The majority of consumers are looking to eventually invest in Android. iOS love isn’t lacking either, and early adopters in particular show a slight preference for the iPhone over any Android device. One of the biggest advantages Android has is choice. With the iPhone, you either love it or hate it. And if you hate it, your love affair with iOS is over. Android is different in that if you don’t like one device, you can move onto a different one without switching operating systems. That’s why Android market share is so high: all the choices . But as for myself, I think I’ll stick with my beloved iPhone. What about you? [ via ] Study: smartphone penetration hits 40% of overall U.S. mobile market originally appeared on IntoMobile.com on 2011-09-01T17:24:38Z. FV1gMYsz9b5j